Il Principe

Renaissance Europe was the zenith of human society in the last millennium. A time of revival and renewal, The Renaissance boasted some the greatest thinkers that have ever walked this Earth. A time of great progress and prosperity, the Renaissance continues to inspire us to this day. Yet for such a significant time of progress, peace was not prevalent. Factions and countries were in a constant state of war; a never ending battle for control of land and wealth. Competing families sent men to fight and die for them in the name of conquest and peace. One such family was the Medici, the ruling family of Florence and the second most powerful ruling body in Italy (and possibly Europe), second only to the Pope. The patriarch of such a family was Lorenzo de Medici, a lover of art and a masterful diplomat, but not one of the most deft rulers to have ever graced Italy. He managed to keep a tentative peace between the Italian countries, but this peace only lasted until he died in 1492. Lorenzo was in desperate need of help at home and employed the service of many advisors. Despite all the other advisors he employed, they all pale in comparison to his best, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. Machiavelli was one of the foremost thinkers of the time and a paragon of his society. Venerated by many to even this day, he laid out an outline to help Lorenzo lead in his most famous work, Il Principe, or The Prince in English.

A realist at heart, Machiavelli had a very clear understanding of the world in all its blacks, whites, and shades of grey. In a way that almost seems like a perfect balance between wise sage and scornful father, Machiavelli guides Lorenzo through the most difficult of scenarios. Initially intended as a letter and not as a book, Il Principe accomplishes what it set out to do in the first place, help rulers keep their rule. Not so much a "How to Take Over the world in Ten Days for Dummies" guide, the book more focuses on the principle of "It's yours, if you can keep it," giving expert advice on everything from occupation to assimilation to reconquering. Lorenzo could not have asked for a better guide in his daunting task a leader and ruler. Articulate in his words, Machiavelli chooses a very didactic style for his work which serves two purposes. Not only does this style convey that he is an expert in this field, but it also serves to humble Lorenzo as he is shown that even great leaders of men. Machiavelli is however, a very dark person. As the father of Machiavellianism (shocking, I know), he portrays the world in a very dark manor. Machiavellianism is a dark philosophy that states that a person is to follow a path of manipulation and must have a cynical disregard for morality, justifying ends with means that don't follow. Machiavelli realizes that for the Medici to remain in power, they need to do what is necessary. What is necessary is not what is right or easy, but what has to be done. Machiavelli teaches a dark lesson, but one that shows that not everything in this world can be solved with morals. Sometimes one has to sacrifice their own personal self righteousness for the betterment of those around them.

Truly a masterpiece in nature, Il Principe is one of the most important written works in all of history. Conveying the themes of such an influential place during such an influential time, Il Principe encompasses most of Renaissance society. A perfect porthole to peer through the ages, the book is truly a fantastic piece of literature that teaches the nature of the world and of dangers presented by power. I give this book a rating of seven dead Jennys wearing whore boots shot on the field like Jews out of seven dead Jennys wearing whore boots shot on a field like Jews.